It rained in October, but the drought is not over: what it means for your well and your rainwater tank

Rain has returned to Belgium since the start of the month, and it is tempting to think the dry spell is over. The authorities say otherwise. In its 12 October update, the Walloon public service (SPW) reports rainfall “close to seasonal norms” but unevenly spread, and warns that it will not bring lasting relief. In Flanders, the Drought Commission kept code orange in place on 8 October. Here is what this means in practice for a private installation.

In Wallonia, groundwater is still in its summer decline and remains below seasonal norms in many areas. River flows are still very low for the time of year, and the Nisramont reservoir is being watched particularly closely. The RMI drought index, quoted by the SPW, points to an extremely dry situation for the following ten days.

Seventeen municipalities keep a police order on the use of mains water: Attert, Bouillon, Chimay, Chiny, Gedinne, Léglise, Libin, Libramont-Chevigny, Musson, Rochefort, Rouvroy, Saint-Hubert, Stoumont, Tenneville, Theux, Trois-Ponts and Vresse-sur-Semois. Others remain under watch, with a call to use water responsibly.

In Flanders, the Drought Commission notes that around 84% of groundwater monitoring points show low to very low levels for the time of year, after an exceptionally dry September. Temporary abstraction bans on many watercourses remain in force. Everywhere, the drinking water supply remains secure, but with heightened vigilance.

Autumn rain first benefits plants and a parched soil that absorbs much of it. Only later, with regular rain and dormant vegetation, does water seep down to the aquifers. These respond weeks, sometimes months, later. One wet week cannot make up for a dry summer and a dry September.

For a well or borehole, the water level is often at its lowest of the year right now. The warning signs remain the same: a pump that keeps starting and stopping, falling pressure, cloudy or sandy water, the sound of air being drawn in. If you notice any of these, switch the pump off and have it checked: a pump that runs dry is quickly damaged.

The first heavy rains after a long dry period can also carry whatever had built up on the surface into a shallow well. If you drink your well water, keep an eye on its colour, smell and clarity over the coming weeks, check that the UV steriliser and filters are in good order, and have the water analysed if in doubt.

In municipalities under an order, filling a rainwater tank with mains water is generally prohibited: check your municipality’s text. Every shower therefore counts. Make sure gutters, downpipes and the inlet filter let the water through, and that the switch-over between tank and mains works: a tank that refills is of no use if the pump keeps drawing mains water.

The call for responsible use applies everywhere. The most useful step is still to hunt down leaks: read your meter in the evening, use no water overnight and read it again in the morning. If it has moved, a toilet, a tap or a pipe is leaking somewhere.

We work throughout Belgium on wells, boreholes, rainwater tanks, pumps and water treatment systems. As long as groundwater stays low, our priority is to protect the installations that still work and to check the quality of the water they supply. If something breaks down, our emergency service answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.